Filling up the Virgin(242)
I eyed Jack as he drove us to the hotel, not even trying to hide the way I was checking him out. My mama always said a girl should never have shame in admiring a man, no matter what anybody had to say about it. This man was built, with firm muscles straining against his tight black t-shirt. The navy didn't take scrawny boys or scrubs and turn them into SEALs. For them it was only the finest of the finest. And believe me when I say he was fine.
A smirk crossed his lips when he caught me looking. “Like what you see?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm,” I replied, pursing my lips. “You got it going on.”
He laughed, and some of the tension in his shoulders seemed to release. “I hope we can have a good working relationship, Ms. Harris...Camille. I take my work very seriously. I wouldn't want to see any harm come to you or your team.”
“You really think there's any danger?” I watched him out of the corner of my eye, studying his reaction. If he tried to coddle me just to ease my worries, I planned to catch him in the act. “There hasn't been any activity in this area for a while now, at least according to the reports Tremaine gave us.”
He shrugged, keeping his attention on the road and watching the other cars we passed, alert for any possible trouble. “I'm cautionary by nature, Camille. I'd rather be over-protective if it helps reduce the risk to all of us. Americans in this part of the world aren't treated well when they cross the wrong sorts of people.”
A shiver went through my spine at that. I'd seen the news reports. There had been people out here who'd been captured, tortured, even beheaded. The artifacts we were here to retrieve weren't really all that valuable, beyond their historic significance. It sure as hell wasn't anything worth dying for. And I had never had any silly ideas about being some sort of Indiana Jones, and not just because being a large black woman, I wasn't exactly much like Harrison Ford.
“Let's just get the job done,” I said, “and get home. I ain't planning on winding up on the news.”
Jack patted my knee. His touch was firm and sure of himself. “I like a woman who keeps an eye on her goals,” he said, winking at me. “I can see why you were chosen to lead this expedition. There are plenty of other archaeologists with your credentials, but a task like this takes someone with some moxie.”
“Mr. Tremaine chose me because I'm the best woman for the job,” I said. Not that I'd ever met the mysterious billionaire. He had funded several expeditions I'd been on, going back all the way to my college internships. I'd worked hard to make a name for myself in the field, working under several prominent archaeologists on digs all around the world. This was my first time leading my own expedition, and I had Mr. Tremaine to thank for it. Though all I knew about him was what the news said: that he had a strong interest in preserving historical artifacts, and that he spend a generous portion of his vast fortune trying to save priceless artifacts from destruction. Though those stories were mixed up with news of Tremaine industries performing hostile takeovers and laying off workers by the thousands, so sometimes I wasn't sure what to think. I never knew for sure how secure my job was, so I made sure to be the best that I could, so that I'd be an invaluable resource.
I doubted that I'd ever meet Tremaine himself, but as long as he kept signing the checks and funding our supplies and travel expenses, that was just fine by me.
“I'm confident that Mr. Tremaine made a fine choice,” Jack said. He looked almost amused as he said it, though I couldn't be sure why.
We arrived at the hotel without incident, though we still got plenty of looks from the locals as we made our way through the lobby. Americans in general weren't too common in these parts, and I doubted any of the people here had ever seen a white man and a black woman together in the same place at the same time. Though there were plenty of neighborhoods back in the States where we would have gotten even more looks, all things considered.
We met with the rest of my team in a cramped little conference room on the hotel's second floor. It was hot, it was sweaty, and there was a bit of a rank smell coming from somewhere I couldn't place. Worse yet, there was no air conditioning, just a few old, rusty ceiling fans stirring the air from above. The rooms we were staying in weren't much better. It wasn't that Tremaine Industries wouldn't have footed the bill for a nicer place. We were just in such a remote region that staying in a five-star hotel wasn't really an option.
“This is Jack,” I said as we entered, introducing him to the rest of the team. “He's gonna watch our backs over the next couple of days. Make sure we all get home in one piece.”
Jack took a look around the room, checking the windows and looking under the table and behind the old, dusty paintings on the walls. “I'd appreciate if everyone checks in with me before going out anyplace on your own,” he said, his tone all business. “I'm not keen on having one of you wander off and getting yourselves kidnapped or something.”